Courtesy Minnesota Conference
A Call for More Adventist Schools From time to time, I have to go into our Minnesota Conference Education Department storage room and dig through our archived files.
Challenges or opportunities?
It may be a little self-serving for someone who makes a living in education, but I can’t think of many better ways to minister to a community than to provide a Christ-centered Adventist school, strongly connected to an Adventist church. As I look through the file drawers, I see folders marked River A teacher, working alongside a supportive pastor, can Bluff, Parkside, Bemidji, Thief River Falls, Northbrook. These reach out to the families in the community. They can conrepresent schools that are no longer in existence to serve fam- nect them to the school family and by extension the church. ilies in our conference. These schools have closed. When strong relationships are built, Christ can work to There are multiple reasons for a school to shut down. As draw those families to Him. From my perspective, and in churches age, we sometimes see a lack of children to enroll in my experience, there is no greater evangelistic tool than a the school. There are times where things have not gone well Christ-centered school. and confidence in the school program dwindles. I have seen Opening schools is not without challenges. The first quespastors and church members look at how much of the church tion is whether there are enough students to justify opening budget is allocated for the school and decide that there are the school. Ellen White wrote: “in localities where there is a other things they would prefer to do with that money. church, schools should be established, if there are no more Too often our priorities shift and a church loses interest in than six children to attend” (Child Guidance, 308). Another concern revolves around finances. It’s not free to Adventist education. As a result, schools suffer and close. I am run a school and the costs keep increasing. Is it possible that certain that every conference has files like ours—files from we need to exercise a bit more faith? Maybe instead of asking schools that were and are no longer. I believe it is time for us to reverse this trend. It is time to if we can afford to open a school, we should explore whether reopen those schools and establish schools where they have not we can afford to not open a school. Probably the biggest challenge to opening more schools is existed before. It is time to take our existing schools and provide finding teachers to staff them. Each year, the process of hiring more support for expansion and growth. teachers has been more difficult. There is definitely a shortage. Over the past few months, there has been a growing moveIf we step forward in faith, God will address these concerns ment of parents asking serious questions about what is being taught at their child’s school. This has led to renewed interest and any others that may arise. He will bring the students who in what is taking place in public education. Some of the things need to be in our schools. He will take care of the finances. He that have come to light during this time have raised concerns will work on the hearts of those He would call to be teachers for many parents. Those parents have begun to seek out and to serve His young people. alternatives. They are looking for schools that align with their Let’s take advantage of the time we find ourselves in. Let’s values and provide wholesome education. open as many quality, Christ-centered schools as we can. Let’s Our schools have already started to benefit from the addimeet the needs of our communities, establish schools, and tion of some of these families. Unfortunately, some of our bring more people to Christ. schools have had to turn families away due to full classrooms. James C. Davis, Jr. is education superintendent for the Minnesota In addition, there are many areas where there is not an Conference. Adventist school to provide this alternative.
10 OUTLOOKMAG.ORG MARCH 2022